


ours a love i held tightly

by fanx



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Red Light District, based on mede shireru yoru no junjou, lapslock, yuil are courtesans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:55:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23184394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanx/pseuds/fanx
Summary: it wasn't long before taeil was stopped in his tracks as yuta playfully tugged on the red ribbon. it was truly a testament to how used taeil had gotten to yuta's teasing, as he didn't even bother turning around before saying, "let me go."yuta's lips curved up into a playful smirk."i'm not touching you, though?""yuta nakamoto.""moon taeil."
Relationships: Moon Taeil/Nakamoto Yuta
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35





	ours a love i held tightly

yuta barely got a blink of sleep last night. the image of taeil being called into the madame's room kept looping in his mind, causing him to toss and turn, probably disrupting jungwoo's sleep. thankfully, his roommate didn't mention it in the morning when they had their breakfast together with the rest of the 'courtesans.' 

yuta knew that was the term they were known by, and madame had instilled in them to refer to each other as courtesan specifically, but he wasn't one to sugarcoat things. they were, in every sense of the word, a prostitute. he wasn't proud of it, but it _was_ a job. he had only ever known being a prostitute in all his life. he grew up here after all.

not everyone at this brothel liked him, though; they thought that he was a spoiled brat, that the madame favoured him the most amongst all. it wasn't as if yuta could help it. it wasn't even true; the madame could barely stand him most days. the only thing he was ever good for was the profit he brought in with all the high-end clientele under his belt. yuta didn't care anyway, the less people liked him, the better. 

until moon taeil. 

yuta promised himself he wouldn't be attached to anyone at this brothel. he did. but taeil managed to crash that into pieces. he had joined them a year back, and even then, some of the courtesans thought he was too old to even be one. yuta hardly cared about that. taeil had not only brought a breath of fresh air into the brothel, he was also so sweet and innocent, determined to learn new things and become the very best. some of them snickered at that, saying that he would have to be a courtesan til old age as long as yuta was here. yuta had snapped at them, sending them scuttering away. that was the start of their… yuta guessed he could say friendship. 

courtesans were seldom called into the madame's room unless they misbehaved, or, something that yuta had always feared, bought by a wealthy customer. male courtesans were still shunned from the society, being called a disgrace and an abomination, but someone of a higher caliber, who could be shielded from society's expectation, would have no fear of purchasing them, and hence owning them for eternity. yuta wouldn't really say his life at the brothel was a pleasant one, but he would rather die than be owned by some wealthy, arrogant man who deemed yuta's body was his simply because he paid for him.

it was unfair of him to expect taeil to be shackled down by this place, he knew that. for all he knew, taeil wanted to be bought, to be owned by some faceless man. but yuta could barely stomach the thought of someone touching taeil, expecting him to perform for him every day and night, of someone hurting him if he disobeyed… 

he was abruptly pulled away from the dark thoughts as taeil's soft scent floated past him. as he tore his gaze away from the lotus pond outside, he barely caught taeil's long hair ribbon that trailed behind him in his fist. his hair had gotten so long now, much longer than when he first arrived here, and it was so slick and healthy too. it was apparent how well he cared for it. he wouldn't let anyone touch it, most of all yuta, knowing how he loved teasing it. 

it wasn't long before taeil was stopped in his tracks as yuta playfully tugged on the red ribbon. it was truly a testament to how used taeil had gotten to yuta's teasing, as he didn't even bother turning around before saying, "let me go."

yuta's lips curved up into a playful smirk. 

"i'm not touching you, though?"

"yuta nakamoto."

"moon taeil."

he heard the other huff before he finally bestowed yuta with his face. oh, how he had missed seeing the frown on that beautiful face. taeil wasn't present at breakfast this morning, and that caused yuta much worry. 

"where were you?" he asked, fingers now twisting around the ribbon. taeil could do nothing but be forced to take a few steps closer, lest he wanted his scalp to hurt. 

"what do you mean?"

"you weren't at breakfast this morning." 

"i was."

yuta quirked an eyebrow as he brought up the hand twisted around the ribbon, as if taunting taeil. 

"okay, i was in my room. happy? now let go of my ribbon."

yuta did exactly the opposite of that. he wrapped the excess ribbon around his wrist and tugged on it even more, although as gently as he could. the goal here wasn't to hurt taeil after all. taeil's frown did not move from his face as he allowed himself to be pulled closer to yuta. he could remove himself from the situation if he really didn't want yuta to tease him since it wasn't as if he were weak, but the fact that he still stood before him, letting yuta play with him like an immature idiot had to mean something. 

"have you eaten? are you hungry? i could get you—"

"it's okay, i just got back from the kitchen."

yuta nodded. he was suddenly aware of how close they were, as he could clearly see the freckles dotted across taeil's cheeks and could smell the mint in taeil's breath.

"we need to talk about what happened last night."

he could hear taeil's sharp intake of breath loud and clear across the empty hallway. a gentle breeze greeted them from the open space, stirring taeil's stray strands of hair around his face. he was reluctant to disrupt the moment, but if he didn't ask about it now, he feared it would be too late.

"nothing happened," taeil said, the tone sharp. it was clearer than ever now; someone had proposed to _purchase_ him. the word sat heavy and bitter on his tongue, and he wished for nothing more than to spit it out. 

"did madame sell you to the highest bidder? is that what happened?"

"it's none of your business."

yuta simply watched as taeil tried his damndest to unwrap the ribbon from yuta's hand, but before it could go loose, yuta tugged on it for one final time and caught him around the waist when taeil came tumbling against his chest. 

"yuta, stop. there's… just—" taeil sighed, his figure slumping in yuta's hold. "there's nothing you can do about it."

"yes there is! what are you talking about? there _has_ to be a better ending than this!"

when taeil looked up into his eyes, yuta could see the unshed tears in them. it gripped him painfully in the chest and made him feel even more determined to right this wrong.

"i have savings. i can take you away from this place. we could run away."

taeil said nothing, although he managed to straighten himself and wrap his arms around yuta's neck, the long sleeves of the kimono spilling over yuta's shoulders. he had always looked so beautiful in red. 

"thank you," taeil whispered, the sound muffled from where he hid his face into yuta's neck. "i wished it didn't end this way too. they're taking me tomorrow. i told madame i didn't want to but…"

"there's no such thing as consent here," yuta continued, dejected. that had always been drilled into their heads, that whatever the madame or the customer said was ever the right thing. they couldn't reject, they couldn't argue. the moment you stood before the red, heavy wooden doors and entered it despite the warnings and whispers from the people around the red light district, you had already signed up your will to live to the madame. 

"then... then let me have this one day to be with you. i—" the words seemed to die in his throat, and as he felt taeil's tightening hold around his neck, he buried his face into the other's hair, his eyes pinched close. 

**Author's Note:**

> based on a yaoi manga, obvs, since i'm not _that_ creative hUH!


End file.
